A 16-ounce bag of potato chips now costs about 31% more than it did five years ago, according to U.S. government research. Ever eaten part of a bag and then forgotten it, only to find that the leftovers are soggy and sad?
Air fryer to the rescue! This wildly popular appliance can bring chips and other foods back to life in just a few minutes. When the average cost of a 16-ounce bag of chips is more than $6.50, you want to get every last salty crumb.
Cereal, fried chicken, spring rolls and other foods cost a lot more these days. Don’t throw them out if they go limp. Let the air fryer restore them to glorious crispiness — and help you get every penny’s worth.
1. Pizza, cheesy bread, mozzarella sticks or calzones
Reheating bread-y treats in the microwave can have uneven results, according to Consumer Reports. Anything with wheat in it toughens up in a microwave because the sugar in the wheat starch will soften and then re-crystallize.
Microwave ovens heat from the inside out, which tends to bring moisture to the surface of the food. (The food may already be moist from having been stored in the fridge.)
You’ll get much better results with an air fryer. Put the food on the frying plate inside the basket, and cook at 360 degrees until the cheese bubbles (about 4 to 6 minutes).
2. Egg rolls, spring rolls or fried dumplings
It’s the same with these as with pizza, calzones and mozzarella sticks: They’re bread-y and probably a little bit damp from storage. What you want is a cooking method that will heat them up and quickly remove the moisture.
Place these foods on the frying plate inside the basket, set the temperature to 350 degrees and cook for 3 minutes. Flip the items and cook for 3 more minutes. Then, the outer skin should be crispy once more.
3. Crackers
Checked the price of a box of Triscuits or Premium Saltines lately? Yeah, we thought so too. But even with higher prices, crackers are great for quick snacks, for smushing into bowls of chicken soup (so satisfying!) or for cheese-crackers-and-fruit lunches.
If half a box gets overlooked for too long, Home Cooking Tech offers an easy fix:
- Preheat the air fryer to 350 degrees.
- Arrange crackers in a single layer.
- Air-fry for about 3 minutes, or until crisp enough for you.
Two pro tips: Don’t open multiple cracker boxes or sleeves at once, and place opened crackers in the front of your cupboard or pantry where they can’t be ignored.
4. Loaded nachos, tacos or quesadillas
You kept eating and eating, but that mound o’ nachos never seemed to shrink. Don’t leave the leftovers! They can be brought back to crispy, gooey life in the basket of your air fryer once it’s been sprayed with nonstick cooking oil, according to Consumer Reports.
Same goes for tacos and quesadillas, although they should be set directly on the frying plate.
No matter what you’re reheating, use a 360-degree temperature and air-fry until the food is lightly crisped. This should take 6 to 8 minutes.
5. Pretzels
Humidity and/or improper storage turns deliciously crunchy pretzels into a snack everyone avoids. Texas Real Food poses this as a challenge: “Stale pretzels become an opportunity to exercise both culinary resourcefulness and environmental consciousness.”
The culinary resourcefulness part is easy: Reheat the pretzels for 3 to 4 minutes in a 350-degree air fryer, resulting in “a very crunchy bite without needing to add extra oils or fats.”
The environmental consciousness comes from not throwing away food. Think of the energy it took to grow the ingredients, bake and package the treats, and ship them to stores.
We’d add a third part: You paid good money for those pretzels. Don’t throw it away along with the snack.
6. Fish and chips
This traditional pub favorite needs a little extra love, but the result is sooo worth it. Consumer Reports suggests you start by putting the fish on the air fryer rack and then giving it a small spritz of oil. Cook for 5 minutes at 375 degrees, then remove the basket and turn the fish over.
Add the chips, give them a little spritz of oil as well, and air-fry for another 5 minutes or until they’re perfectly crispy.
Bonus: You’re at home, so you can have ketchup with the chips and the fish, if you prefer it to malt vinegar. No one will judge.
7. Taco shells
Whether made with soft tortillas or crispy shells, tacos are a fast meal that’s also a great way to use up leftover meats and veggies. But if you’re a hard-taco household, finding out your shells have gone soft can just plain ruin Taco Tuesday.
An air fryer provides the quickest of fixes, according to The Kitchen Chalkboard. “(Shells) are already cooked, so you don’t need a ton of time,” the website advises. “Heating them for 2 to 4 minutes at 400 degrees should do the trick.”
8. Potato chips
As noted earlier, the price of potato chips has risen noticeably. Not getting every last bite in seems wrong, especially when so many amazing flavors are available.
Serious Eats takes this issue, well, seriously. An article by Swetha Sivakumar offers info on reheating thin chips, thick-cut chips and baked chips plus a few other crunchy snacks.
The best temperature is 300 degrees. Thin or “wafer” chips need 1½ minutes of cooking time, baked chips need 2½ minutes, and thick-cut chips need at least 1½ minutes but probably more.
9. Bread
An air fryer can make that wonderful sourdough or multigrain taste new once more. Javaria Akbar, writing for TastingTable.com, offers the following tips using steam to revive stale bread:
- Preheat the device to 450 degrees.
- Moisten the bread with water using a spray bottle to mist it or your fingers to sprinkle it.
- Cook until the crust is crunchy and the interior is soft. A few minutes should do it, but you’ll need to vary time based on whether you’re reheating a slice, a loaf or an English muffin.
To be clear: Fresh bread is always best when it’s truly fresh. A good-quality bread will still taste good the next day; reheating, however, will make it taste great.
10. Tortilla chips
Maybe you buy them by the bag or bring them home from your favorite Mexican restaurant. Unfortunately, chips can lose their snap if they aren’t stored properly or if it’s particularly humid (hi there, Florida!) where you live.
An article on FastFoodBistro.com helps you revive those sad, soft corn bits:
- Set the air fryer temperature to 300 degrees.
- Put the chips into the air-fryer basket, then cover it with aluminum foil. This keeps the chips from swirling around and maybe getting burned on the heating element.
- Cook for 5 minutes, then pour into a bowl and let cool for a bit.
Note: The chips may seem a bit soft when they first come out. That’s normal. But as they cool, the crunch will come back.
11. Fried chicken
Ideally, you’d eat this stuff hot from the fryer when it’s at its absolute peak. But when leftovers happen, don’t consign them to the microwave if you have an air fryer handy.
According to MarthaStewart.com, the air fryer is a lot like reheating it in the oven. It’s essential not to overload the air-fryer rack. The trick is to allow air to circulate freely among the pieces so it can make the coating crunchy once more.
For best results, let the chicken come to room temperature before you start reheating. Cook it at 375 degrees for 5 to 8 minutes, depending on how crispy you want the chicken to get.
12. Popcorn
Maybe you got the giant tub at the movies and took half of it home. Next day the corn has lost some of its luster, and you no longer want any.
Don’t throw it out! A site called Reheated.org offers instructions on how to return the snack to its fresh-from-the-popper elan:
- Preheat the air fryer to 350 degrees.
- Spread popcorn evenly in the air-fryer basket, breaking up any clumps.
- Cook for about 90 seconds, then remove the basket and shake gently before returning to air fryer.
- Cook for another 90 seconds to 3½ minutes, depending on your preferred crispness level.
Note: As anyone who’s ever microwaved popcorn knows, this stuff can go from “done” to “scorched earth” in a few extra seconds. Put down your phone and give snack prep your undivided attention.
13. French fries
If you can’t finish those fries at the restaurant, bring ’em home and put them in the air fryer the next day. Meghan Splawn of TheKitchn.com recommends preheating the device to 350 degrees and cooking the fries in a single layer for 3 to 5 minutes.
The result? “The leftover fries tasted as good as fresh,” and without the need to add any more oil.
14. Cookies
You splurged on one of those super-treats at a retailer like Crumbl but forgot how doggoned rich such cookies can be. Next day you’re ready to finish the leftovers, but they seem a bit … deflated.
No worries! In a post on TastingTable.com, Catherine Nyorani shows how to bring those pricey, precious treats back to ooey-gooey life:
- Preheat the air fryer to 350 degrees.
- Put the cookies in a single layer in the fryer basket, leaving space between them for hot air to circulate properly.
- Air-fry for 2 to 3 minutes, keeping a close eye. Once the cookies feel softer, they might be ready. If not, give them up to 1 minute more.
Remove the cookies with tongs or a spatula because those puppies will be hot. Let them cool for a few minutes before eating — you can use this time to pour yourself a glass of milk.
15. Chicken wings
Wings don’t have much meat on them, but sometimes your eyes are bigger than your stomach when you order. The next day you’re looking at cold, slightly rubbery leftovers.
Put them in a single layer in the air-fryer basket and cook at 375 degrees for 7 to 10 minutes, flipping them over halfway through the cooking time.
For an authentic restaurant experience, Consumer Reports suggests tossing them in a little hot sauce as soon as they’re out of the basket. You could also sprinkle them with ranch dressing powder or your favorite spice mix.
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